Nanoindentation studies on Nylon 11/clay nanocomposites

A nanoindentation technique was used to investigate mechanical properties (i.e. hardness and modulus) of Nylon 11 (PA11) and its nanocomposites with different clay loading. It has been found that the hardness and modulus of the nanocomposites steadily increase with increasing clay content. With incorporation of 5 wt% clay into the PA11 matrix, the hardness and elastic modulus are improved by about 27% and 32%, respectively. The modulus data obtained by nanoindentation are compared with those obtained by tensile testing and dynamic mechanical analysis. The studies prove that nanoindentation is a simple but effective mechanical testing method for the polymer and the nanocomposites.